Description: Stroll down the corridors of a mental asylum,
where your mind won't believe what your eyes see. In the
tradition of Tales from the Crypt and Creepshow, this
anthology of pulp horror tales, helmed by the ever-reliable
horror master, Freddie Francis (Dr. Terror's House of
Horrors). The film features a quartet of eerie vignettes
involving four patients in the care of psychiatrist Donald
Pleasance (Halloween), who's attempting to justify his
strange theories to colleague, Jack Hawkins (Theatre of
Blood). The all-star cast includes Kim Novak, Joan Collins,
Peter McEnery and Suzy Kendall.

The Film:

Essentially a reworking of their earlier omnibus Asylum, this is another
anthology of pulp horror tales from Amicus,... this one helmed by the
ever-reliable Freddie Francis. It features a quartet of eerie vignettes
involving four patients in the care of psychiatrist Dr. Tremayne (Donald
Pleasence), who is attempting to justify his strange theories to a
colleague (Jack Hawkins, who died shortly after his scenes were filmed)
by explaining the horrific events that drove the patients to their
current state. The first tale centers on a young boy (Russell Lewis),
whose parents' constant squabbling prompts him to conjure an imaginary
tiger to devour them. The second involves a Victorian-era bicycle which
allows its finder (Peter McEnery) to travel back in time and live as his
own ancestor. The goofy third chapter pits a jealous wife (Joan Collins)
against a strange rival for her husband's attention: a tree possessed by
a human soul. The final segment stars Kim Novak (a last-minute
replacement for Rita Hayworth) as a literary agent who must sacrifice
her own daughter (Mary Tamm) to appease the restless spirit of her
client's mother. Although certainly not the studio's best effort, this
is still an amusing diversion, featuring the standard twist ending and a
flamboyant approach suggestive of EC horror comics.

*

**

"Tales That Witness Madness," which opened yesterday at
neighborhood theaters, is Mr. Franci's glossiest, most absurd,
almost-all-star horror film yet. Like his "Torture Garden" and "Tales
From the Crypt," it is a collection of unrelated stories that, this
time, have as their connecting link a mad doctor (Donald Pleasence) who
theorizes to his friend (the late Jack Hawkins) that truth has physical
substance that can be isolated, like hormones.

Image : NOTE:The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.

The image quality of Tales
That Witness Madness by Olive Films is standard from the
production company - modest 1080P representation of the
original Paramount source. No restoration or manipulation.
The
Blu-ray
is, predictably, single-layered but holds up okay with
decent detail and colors plus some depth here and there. The
1.85:1 aspect ratio film has been transferred at 1.78. There
is a shade of texture and overall eclipses SD but will never
be used as a demo disc.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY
CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

=

i

Audio :

Limited but authentic audio in a
DTS-HD Master mono track at a wimpy 848 kbps

.
Screams can sound piercing but there is no heavy depth. The original
music is by Bernard Ebbinghouse and effectively adds a layer of suspense
via lossless.
My Momitsu
has identified
it as being a region
'A'-locked.

Extras :

Nutt'in.

BOTTOM LINE: There is no real critiquing of Tales That Witness Madness -
I mean, what do you expect with the title and directed by
Freddie Francis? I thought there was some cool nostalgia
here with the likes of Kim Novak, Hawkins and Pleasence as
the thoughtful scientists as the segue between stories, and
Collins and Kendall as the sexy distractions. The horror is
a little creepy but I don't think the filmmakers were going
for much more. It's kinda fun - maybe running a shade long
but I enjoyed it as an amusing kitschy distraction. The
Blu-ray isn't far from the same - a modest 1080P that provides an adequate
presentation to get some cheap thrills in the Home Theater.
Yeah - I can see quite a few getting a curious hoot out of
this while feeling some comfort around the star power.

Gary Tooze

June 7th, 2012

About the Reviewer:
Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film
since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was
around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my
horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out
new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500
DVDs and have reviewed over 5000 myself. I appreciate my
discussion Listserv for furthering my film
education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver.
Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our
Amazon links.

Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who
focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I
find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction.